Superintendent: False report led to hazing discovery at CB West

Find out how an erroneous report led to discovery of Central Bucks West hazing

An accusation of a single punch — that administrators determined to be unfounded — led to the discovery of hazing allegations and cancellation of Central Bucks West High School's football season, according to the district's superintendent.

Superintendent David Weitzel said Friday that on Oct. 14 a parent of a ninth-grade football player reported to the district that another player was punched by other members of the team as they attempted to cut his hair as a form of initiation.

Weitzel said district officials began interviewing team members and the boy who was allegedly punched. The student told administrators he was not punched, according to Weitzel.

So Oct. 17, Weitzel said, Central Bucks West Principal Jason Bucher sent an email to parents of football players indicating there was no indication of mistreatment.

But according to Weitzel, more interviews took place that Friday and again on Monday and "other things started to come up that were not related to the alleged punch."

"That's when we realized that this went beyond the unfounded allegation of hitting someone," he added.

In a statement posted on the school district's website Thursday, Weitzel said "students new to the team were expected to participate in several initiations that were both humiliating and inappropriate."

These activities included requiring a rookie player to grab another player's "private parts" while fully clothed, Weitzel said.

He added police contacted district officials Wednesday after they received word about the alleged hazing from a reporter.

Weitzel said that after consulting with the district's solicitor, officials put together a summary report that was sent to the Bucks County district attorney's office.

Central Bucks Regional Police Chief James Donnelly said Thursday that a criminal investigation is underway. He said school administrators used the term "waterboarding" when describing to detectives a hazing ritual that involved placing a towel over the head of a younger player and leading him into the shower.

According to Weitzel, the players indicated that the coaches were not present in the locker room during the hazing, which occurred in August, and were not aware the activities were taking place.

Head coach Brian Hensel on Thursday was made aware of the extent of what administrators discovered. Hensel, a 1990 Lehigh University grad who played for the Mountain Hawks, and all the members of the varsity and junior varsity coaching staff were suspended as the criminal investigation progresses.

Weitzel said the decision to cancel the remainder of the team's season, including Friday's homecoming game against Central Bucks East, was his call.

"The decision was mine to make. However, it was done in concert with the school board," he added. "They were made aware of things and we held two executive sessions this week."

While the district's announcement was released Thursday afternoon, Weitzel said he decided to cancel the season "late Wednesday night."

"This is absolutely a tough issue for everybody," he said. "It's sad. I'm sure the team is troubled by what is now out in the open and regret what they did. They're boys and they made a mistake."

Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine Jr., who played for his father, Mike Pettine Sr., and also was an assistant coach at CB West, addressed the issue with the Cleveland media Friday.

"It's unfortunate," Pettine said. "If what is [out there] is true, there's obviously no place for that. As an alum, I can speak for all of us that it's an unfortunate thing. Bucks County, Pa., and Doylestown is a great place to grow up, it's a great place to raise a family, and to have a negative light cast on it, it's an unfortunate thing."

Weitzel said the issue will be discussed publicly at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday during the school board meeting in the auditorium of the school in Doylestown.

A district spokeswoman said CB East and West plan to reschedule their homecoming games. CB East's homecoming game will now be held Oct. 31 against Quakertown. West will hold its homecoming at a home basketball game to be determined.